# Optimize for users not returning to search

- Category: seo
- Author: Raul (https://indie.md/people/raul/)
- Source: https://indie.md/events/indie-tm-7-timisoara-april-2026/
- Canonical URL: https://indie.md/advice/dont-let-users-return-to-search/

The most important SEO signal in modern search is whether a user returns to the results page after clicking your link. If they do, Google reads it as "this page did not answer the query" and your ranking erodes. If they do not, it reads as "problem solved" and your ranking compounds. This reframes SEO from "rank for keywords" to "fully resolve the intent behind each query." Audit your top pages: does the reader actually get what they came for above the fold, or do they have to scroll through filler and ads? Fix the ones that force users back to search.